About Ukraine

A prominent Ukrainian politician Viacheslav Chornovil once said, that Ukrainians could boast (or maybe grieve) almost the same dispersion all over the world as the biblical Jewish nation. The Ukrainian diaspora indeed stretches the globe. According to the statistic, over 16 million Ukrainians reside in 55 countries. The biggest Ukrainian communities are in Russia - over 8 million, in the USA - over 1 million, Canada - some 800 thousand, Poland and Rumania - some 500 thousand, Argentina - 150 thousand people.

There are public and private mass media in Ukraine. The share of non-public television and radio broadcasting stands at over 96%. According to data from the Ministry of Statistics of Ukraine, more than 30,000 state registration certificates have been issued to various print media to date. According to estimates by the State Statistics Committee of Ukraine, over 5,300 periodical titles are published. With the development of information technologies and the advent of the Internet, many independent Internet publications have appeared.

Language is a reflection of a people’s soul, because through a language one can find out about many features of the development and formation of those people. Unfortunately, during their history, Ukrainians have been deprived of the possibility to fully study and develop their native language. Subordination to the authority of the states of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth (Rzeczpospolita), and the Austro-Hungarian and Russian Empires led not only to a denial by these countries’ historians of the existence of Ukrainians as an ethnos, but also to relegating the Ukrainian language to the status of a dialect.

During Ukraine’s entire history, its territory has also been populated by other peoples, in addition to its indigenous population of Ukrainians. Their settlement was a result of historical events: wars, migration, forced relocation of populations, and natural and social calamities on the territories of other countries. Those very processes formed a bright picture of a multinational state, which Ukraine is today.

Ukraine is a unitary state. This means that governance of the country is carried out from one center, the capital; a single Constitution is in force for the entire territory of the country; there is a single system of the highest bodies of authority and there is a single legal framework. However, each of the administrative-territorial units has its governing bodies within a given authority.

Like any nation in the world, we have our own features that may look unusual to a guest, for example, our cuisine. In restaurants you can be served a bowl of strange red soup called borshch. This is a traditional Ukrainian dish that only Ukrainians can cook properly. If you wish to get an in-depth look at our folk traditions, it is best to see a holiday celebration. On the shortest night of July, young people jump over a campfire, and girls place wreathes of flowers on the water. This romantic celebration is called Ivana Kupala. Our people celebrate Christmas in a special way too. On Christmas Eve, you can bump into costumed amateurs and professional performers in the streets who sing Christmas carols and stage folk performances called verteps.

From personal experience

Vishal Ratnakar, theoretical physicist (India-Ukraine)
I graduated from Kharkiv State University in 1991. The Kharkiv School of Theoretical Physics was known throughout the world. Now I work as a consulting engineer at an international company. My knowledge of the Ukrainian mentality and the skills of gripping any subject quickly, which I acquired at the university, have proven very helpful in my current job. The only recommendation I have for my countrymen who are going to come to Ukraine to study is that you must learn, first and foremost, that the front passenger seat in a car here is on the right side. The rest is easy to learn.

Firsthand

Wu Li, Manager (China-Ukraine)
This year I have graduated from a higher educational institution in Kyiv and obtained a diploma. Currently, I am an intern at an international travel company operating in Ukraine. In the future, I plan to manage the business of a Chinese company in Ukraine’s market. I have the necessary knowledge for this, and cooperation between our two countries is on the rise. Besides, I have many good friends here. I would like to warn my compatriots who want to come to Ukraine that winters here are the same as in the northern provinces of China. So, do not forget warm clothes. But it is much warmer in the houses.

Not from hearsay

Olga Nemirovskaya, future lawyer (Russia-Ukraine)
Two years ago I decided to enter an educational institution in Kyiv and now I am here, studying. First, it is cheaper than in Moscow. Second, I have relatives and friends here who can support me. And third, I looked for new impressions, new places, and new discoveries. Kyiv proved the right choice for me. It combinesbeauty, antiquity, and the rapid rhythm of life typical of other big cities! I would like to say to my countrymen who are contemplating study in Ukraine that I study here in Russian and communicate in Russian as well. As for Ukrainian, it is a friendly and understandable language. I can already speak it a little. It’s cool!